[Report] ‘Ramen Turtle’ carrying the fried Shin Ramyun that day… Gumi Ramen Festival ‘Pulpal’

The '2026 Gumi Ramen Festival' was held in Gumi-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do on the 6th. Nongshim [004370] Hundreds of visitors stood in a long line in front of the place where they could purchase ramen produced that day at the Gumi factory.

There was a line to buy so-called ‘freshly fried ramen’ such as Shin Ramyun, Neoguri, and Anseongtangmyeon. People were seen purchasing multiple bags of ramen, and visitors flocked to check out the festival's limited edition products.

According to Nongshim, about 480,000 freshly fried ramen noodles were sold at last year's festival. The sight of visitors carrying backpacks full of ramen was nicknamed 'Ramen Turtle' on social networking services (SNS).

According to Gumi City and Nongshim on the 8th, the Gumi Ramen Festival, now in its 5th year, is an event planned to take advantage of the regional characteristics of the Nongshim Gumi factory, which is responsible for about 75% of Korea's Shin Ramyun production. Nongshim has been participating in the first festival in 2022.

Last year, about 350,000 people visited, and the city expects the number of visitors to exceed 400,000 this year.

This year's festival will be held for three days from the 6th to this day, decorating a 475m section around Gumi Station as the 'world's longest ramen street' and presenting a variety of food and experience programs.

The limited edition ‘Gumi Ramen Festival Noodles’ made with 100% Gumi wheat was also unveiled for the first time this year. It is a product made with noodles made from wheat from Gumi, with a spicy beef sauce-flavored broth, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and bok choy added.

Throughout the festival, visitors were enjoying unique ramen dishes of their choice.

This year, 25 ramen restaurants and 8 ramen trucks participated, showcasing tomato beef soup noodle, clam and abalone ramen, and whole squid and abalone seafood ramen.

Ramen with deep-fried pufferfish and 'premium ramen' made with pine and pine mushrooms priced over 10,000 won also appeared. ‘Banting Ramen’ has also been prepared with reduced quantity and price so that you can taste various types.

The festival site was so crowded that some visitors sat on the side of the road and ate ramen.

Yura Tovar from Uruguay said she was surprised by the long waiting line to buy limited edition ramen and said, “There were so many people that it felt like it took more than 5 minutes to even walk one step.”

He said, "It's a big ramen festival held in Korea, so I really wanted to come. I'm looking forward to seeing various types of ramen with different thickness, texture, and taste in one place."

He added, "My favorite ramen is Jjawang, and I also like the cheese-flavored Shin Ramyun Tumba. I don't eat spicy food well, but this time I'm thinking of trying Songi Neung Ramen."

At the festival site, there is also an experience and sales space where you can make your own ramen or purchase related products.

‘Shin Ramyun Snacks’ operated by Nongshim introduced various ramen-related goods (special products).

Ramen-shaped scrubbers, ramen soup-shaped shopping carts, and key chains were sold, and some products were sold at special discount prices, so it was noticeable that people were purchasing 4 to 5 of the same product at a time.

At 'Ramen Factory', you can create your own ramen by combining noodles, soup, and ingredients according to your taste.

College students Kim Ki-eun and Lee Jeong-hyeok (25), who visited the festival together, said, "It's amazing that you can buy Shin Ramyun and Chapagetti fresh from the factory," and "It's fun because you can have a variety of experiences, such as tasting ramen or making goods."

They added, “It seems like there are more people than last year.”

The person in charge of Nongshim's Shin Ramyun snack food site explained that the number of participatory events has increased compared to last year, and that it is noticeable that the overall age of visitors has decreased, especially as the number of young people and family visitors increases.

A ‘Global Ramen Challenge’ was also prepared to compete with ramen recipes from around the world. According to Gumi City, 1,263 people from 80 countries around the world applied for this contest, and 13 people advanced to the finals after going through the preliminary round.

Gumi City is fostering the Ramen Festival as a tourism event linked to the local commercial district. The city explained that, as a result of big data analysis, sales in commercial areas near the event venue during last year's festival were estimated at approximately 2.86 billion won.

At a briefing on the 6th, Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho emphasized that it is a festival in which local company Nongshim, local restaurants, and wheat farmers cooperate, and said, "It is meaningful in connecting it with regional development."

Gumi City plans to create a permanent space to sell ramen dishes from local restaurants and run experience programs to attract tourists outside of the festival period.